Wong and Kaecilius were among the strongest combatants in Kamar-Taj. Even Mordo was no match for either of them—Wong through relentless study and practice, and Kaecilius purely through extraordinary talent.
"I didn't expect this either," Wong said with a laugh, slapping Lucas on the shoulder.
"Kaecilius was supposed to come, but that guy disappeared somewhere, so I was sent instead. Good thing I came—otherwise I wouldn't have run into you, kid. Haha!"
"Let me introduce you," Wong continued.
"This is Daimon Hellstorm. He's also a very formidable exorcist."
Wong introduced the final exorcist, the only unfamiliar face among the three.
Daimon looked slightly reserved. He stood up and shook Lucas's hand.
After everyone had gotten acquainted, they returned to the rooms prepared for them by the Church.
The night passed without incident.
The following morning, everyone gathered once again in the conference room. After they were seated, a cardinal dressed in red robes stepped forward.
"Gentlemen, I am the person in charge of this operation. My name is Claude. I assume the archbishops have already briefed you on the mission, so I won't repeat it. First, please watch this recording."
With that, a man dressed as a cleric began playing a video.
The footage showed a room. In the center, on a bed, lay a filthy, disheveled young girl whose body showed signs of decay. She appeared to be in her early teens, lying still as if asleep.
As the camera moved closer, the girl suddenly let out a feral scream. Her eyes turned completely black, and her teeth transformed into sharp, canine-like fangs.
Three priests stepped forward and stood around the bed in a triangular formation, chanting scripture aloud. A cleric acting as an assistant took out pen and paper and began recording observations.
Under the priests' exorcism, the girl did not improve. Instead, her condition worsened. Her body slowly levitated into the air, her mouth murmuring strange, incomprehensible sounds in an unknown language.
Suddenly, the Bibles in the priests' hands burst into flames. The crosses they wore turned pitch black, and the holy water began to boil violently.
Even without their Bibles, the priests continued reciting the exorcism prayers from memory.
Then, without warning, the girl turned her head and stared at one of the priests. He immediately spat out blood, unable to utter another word. Large patches of decay spread across his body, and the cross on his chest melted away like ice.
The same fate befell the other two priests. They too vomited blood, their flesh rotting away, until they finally collapsed into pools of blood, leaving nothing behind but their clothes.
"Ha… hahaha… HAHAHAHA!"
The girl laughed wildly, her voice resembling a beast's roar. The fate of the person holding the camera was unknown, as the footage abruptly ended—but it was easy to imagine the outcome.
"This recording was taken during an exorcism at St. George's Convent," Cardinal Claude said solemnly.
"At the time, three priests attempted to exorcise the girl, but as you can see, it was completely ineffective. If not for the relic containing the Blood of God suppressing the demon, the entire convent would have been slaughtered."
As he spoke, the cardinal carefully placed a book on the table—it was the so-called Blood Book.
"Gentlemen, this is the Blood Book. It records everything about Amon, including the ritual required to allow his descent. The Blood Book is the only means of contacting Amon. That is why, when we discovered the girl and the book, we immediately separated them to prevent the book from being opened."
Everyone looked closely. The cover and pages of the Blood Book appeared fused into a single piece. It was impossible to open, no matter how hard one tried.
"The Blood Book can only be opened by the first person who came into contact with it," the cardinal continued.
"Unfortunately, that person was the girl in the video. Amon's will has already eroded her soul. After repeated confirmation, we have determined that her soul has been completely devoured. She is now entirely under Amon's control."
The image changed again, revealing a monstrous being with the body of a wolf, the tail of a serpent, and the head of a raven.
"This is Amon—his original form. He can assume the appearance of any person, exploit humanity's weaknesses, incite wars, and bring his legions into the world."
"The objective of this mission," the cardinal concluded,
"is to banish or kill Amon and force him back into Hell."
"May we examine the Blood Book?" Wong asked. As Kamar-Taj's former librarian, he possessed extensive knowledge of ancient texts.
The cardinal nodded and slid the Blood Book toward Wong. In its current state, only the cover could be seen; the contents were completely inaccessible.
Wong studied the book for a long time. It had fused into a single solid mass, with no seams or openings—meaning no one could open it except the girl who first touched it.
"We need to bring the Blood Book to the girl," Daimon suddenly said.
The cardinal shook his head.
"No. If the girl comes into contact with the Blood Book again, Amon will descend fully, and the entire world will be destroyed."
"No," Daimon said firmly.
"We must bring the Blood Book to her. Only then can Amon be forced to manifest."
The cardinal fell silent.
Daimon was right. To truly resolve the threat, Amon had to be made to appear—whether in his true form or as a projection. Only then could he be dealt with completely. Otherwise, they would merely destroy his current vessel, allowing him to seek out another host. Finding him again would be far more difficult.
The cardinal surveyed the four of them.
According to Vatican intelligence, one was a sorcerer from Kamar-Taj—this was beyond doubt, as Kamar-Taj had been formally contacted.
Another was the heir of the Bloodstone family, whose reputation was well known. Bloodstones were explicitly recorded in Vatican archives as being highly effective against all dark creatures, and the Vatican had even cooperated with Bloodstone family members during the Middle Ages.
The third was the son of Satan—something the Vatican never could have imagined. When they first learned that Satan had a child in the human world, the Vatican had even dispatched the Knights Templar to capture him—Daimon Hellstorm.
However, after long-term observation, the Vatican abandoned that plan. Daimon had never shown any demonic tendencies. He grew up like an ordinary human, aside from the inverted pentagram scar on his chest.
The Vatican was no longer the feudal, authoritarian Church it once was. It had learned to judge actions rather than origins. No matter who Daimon's father was, his deeds were righteous and stood in direct opposition to demons. Moreover, Daimon had accepted the Vatican's restrictions—the bracelet on his wrist was clear proof of that.
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